Musings, perspectives, rants

Included in the book is a timeline of America's involvement with Saddam Hussein. Let me duplicate it for you, as I don't think such examples can be repeated often enough for those who are either ignorant or have a short memory.

1979: Saddam seizes power with US approval; moves allegiance from Soviets to USA in Cold War;

1980: Invades Iran, then the “Unicycle of Evil”, with US encouragement and arms..;

1982: Bush-Regan regime removes Saddam's regime from official US list of state sponsors of terrorism;

1983: Saddam hosts Donald Rumsfeld in Baghdad. Agrees to “go steady” with US corporate suppliers;

1984: US Commerce Department issues licence for export of aflatoxin, usable in biological weapons, to Iraq;

1988: Kurds in Halabja, Iraq, gassed; [note that US does nothing]

1987-1988: US warships help destroy Iranian oil platforms in Gulf and break Iranian blockade of Iraq shipping lanes, tipping war advantage back to Saddam;

1990: Invades Kuwait with US permission. [yes, US permission]

And then the US, nearly 20 years later, decide to execute Saddam for crimes against humanity. All very suspect, yet convenient.

I have nothing but contempt for the US government, its foreign policies and the spread of their corruption.

You'd think this referred to China or some less-democratic country, but no.  We're talking the good ol' U S of A, land of the free.

Thankfully the proposed legislation is on hold, but if it went through, if your blog had more than 500 readers and you said something negative about the government, you'd face jail...

"Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill currently before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to Congress the same as the big K Street lobbyists. Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever. For the first time in history, critics of Congress will need to register and report with Congress itself."

Read more here.

Sign a petition here.

Americans wonder why they're hated.  They seem to think that only Muslims or the poor and oppressed hate America because they're 'jealous' of the 'freedom' and 'democracy' that American people 'enjoy'.  They argue that America only wants to help the rest of the world obtain freedom and peace and that they give aid to so many countries and lead the world in technological developments, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum.  They believe this.  They really do and they just can't understand why there is such hatred in the world.  The truth reveals otherwise. 

They probably don't realise just how many people in the west also hate America and America's "values" and "culture", or the depth of that hatred.  I have talked to any number of Australians, New Zealanders, British, German, French, you name a 'white' country - and they will all have some reason for hating Americans.

Check out this rant by an Australian:

http://junaman.wordpress.com/2006/09/04/america-fuck-you/

What we, in the rest of the world, see, dear Americans (some of you are truly wonderful people), is arrogance on a huge scale.  Your brainwashed patriotism leaves no room for others.  You call yourself the greatest but you're not - far, far from it.  We're bombarded with American TV, American 'values' and opinions, American merchandise, American advertisements for American products of American corporations, made by underpaid third world workers.  The American government does not stand for justice, or liberty.  It stands for oppression, corruption, greed and an arrogance that's beyond belief. 

The American government wants everyone to be American.

Two words:  "Fuck" and "off".

Mini-rant over.  Just occasionally we have to let off steam at the risk of offending several million people, but the current American administration IS fueling that hatred.  Don't expect the rest of the world to welcome Americans with open arms.  Oh no.

I read a small news excerpt yesterday describing deaths from the high temperatures in California.  'Serves them right' I thought unkindly.  If they stopped to think about it they'd realise that their large vehicles, laziness, ignorance, indifference, and greed are to blame for the state of the world's climate.  The US of A is responsible for much of the world's pollution and waste.

I was reading the book "We are all suspects now" today.  The stories are full of human rights abuses of immigrants in the US after Sep 11.  They were arrested without charge, no trial, and shipped from prison to prison with no rights, barely enough food, no hygiene or medical care and all simply because they're either muslim or from a country that is potentially (POTENTIALLY) a harbour of terrorism.  And they call it the land of the free and continually claim that everyone wants to live in America.  Sorry - you could give me a green card tomorrow and I'd refuse to live in that godforsaken place.  I'm sorry, but I'm sick of arrogant Americans who believe their country is the greatest and that the rest of the world is either third world, or full of dictators, terrorists and strange people who live in 'quaint' cottages.  Actually I doubt they even think that much.  The rest of the world doesn't exist.  Howard Rosenberg (who wrote 'Not so Prime TV') is appalled at the 'international' news coverage.  Basically the rest of the world doesn't exist unless an American is involved. 

I saw these two items yesterday and thought I'd post them here:

"9/11 - It's ok - The White House has explained everything

Dear concerned citizen:
We at the White House understand that you’re worried, but it’s time to go back to your television set, and stop listening to those crazy conspiracy theorists on the internet. Although it is true that newspapers provide photos of every crack-head who robs a 7-11, there are no photos of Arab terrorists because there’s no video surveillance in airports. Only convenience stores have that technology. There are no Arab names on the passenger lists because the terrorists walked onto the planes backwards, which caused airport security guards to think they were leaving.
The F.B.I. should be commended for confiscating and classifying all the video footage of the Pentagon strike, because if the enemy saw a plane slamming into the side of that building, all of our nuclear secrets and battle plans might be revealed. You should be grateful that they’re working so hard to protect you.
Please be assured that there is no reason whatsoever to doubt that 19 Arab hijackers attacked us on 9-11, because one of their passports survived the plane crash, the explosion, and the building collapse that pulverized everything else. The F.B.I. also found a copy of the Koran in the trunk of a rental car. Obviously those items tell the whole story, so we don’t need any more evidence. There’s also reason to believe that someone was reading the Koran when the Titanic sank, so history proves that we won’t be safe until we kill all the Muslims.
We also feel that President Bush took every possible precaution to protect the United States. Ignoring all the warnings and throwing NORAD off the scent was part of a much larger strategy designed to make the terrorists think they would succeed, but when the planes hit their targets, we killed ‘em good. Except, of course, for the seven hijackers who somehow survived. We obviously underestimated Allah.
Dick Cheney decided that nothing should be done about the plane speeding toward the Pentagon because since the towers had already been hit, he wisely assumed they would be bluffing this time. We suspect that the Pentagon strike may have been an accident rather than an attack. When the fighter planes were finally scrambled, they were sent in the wrong direction to confuse the enemy.
When the attacks occurred, our president made sure no child was left behind, by bravely standing his ground with a dumb look on his face until the pet goat dilemma was thoroughly resolved. Only then did he move on to the defense of the nation by running away and hiding. We believe he set a marvelous example of keeping a cool head under attack, which is very important because those children will be in the Army sooner than you think.
Regarding the collapse of the Twin Towers, there’s absolutely nothing suspicious about four-inch thick steel being melted into a liquid. Many top government scientists agree that a kerosene fire can melt steel. That’s why your kitchen stove is made out of wood. The Twin Towers survived a larger fire in 1979 because fire wasn’t as hot back then.
Larry Silverstien, who apparently becomes sexually aroused by a terrible loss of life, made the decision to "pull it" while watching the collapse of building seven. Investigators saw the crystal ball that told him to double his insurance weeks before the attacks, so there’s no reason to suspect that he had prior knowledge. There’s also nothing suspicious about Jack Abramoff giving Mohammad Atta free cruises and V.I.P. treatment on his casino boats in the weeks before 9-11, because 9-11 hadn’t happened yet. And on the morning of 9-11, C.I.A. director Porter Goss was having breakfast with the man who wired USD100,000 to Mohammad Atta because Porter Goss wanted USD100,000 too.
We were also very suspicious of the Mossad agents who were celebrating and filming the events from across the Hudson river, but we later discovered that 9-11 is a Jewish holiday, during which many observing Jews dress as Arabs, congregate near water, and lace their vehicles with the same explosives Moses used to part the Red Sea. Local Jews celebrate the exodus there every year on 9-11, and in 2001, they assumed the collapse of the towers was a sign from God.
The cell phone calls at 500 MPH and cruising altitude were made possible by a rare solar storm that ionized our atmosphere that day. This is also why none of the calls showed up on anyone’s phone bill, and it may also explain how debris from flight 93 levitated for six miles after slamming into the ground. There’s certainly no mystery there.
We also happen to be very proud of the fact that the ensuing wars have allowed Bush and Cheney to make obscene amounts of money. America needs shrewd businessmen who are wise enough to invest in the White House, because if not for bribes, extortion, murder and blackmail, we might have no government at all.
Please remember that reality TV is a lot less complicated than reality, and as an American, you should exercise your inalienable rights to idiocy and ignorance, and leave the rest of the constitution to us.
Sincerely,
Jolly Roger
Dept. of Public Relations, the White House"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The American Flag

Charlotte Aldebron wrote this essay when she was 12, for a
competition in her 6th grade English class in Presque Isle, Maine.

-----------------------------------------------------

"What the American Flag Stands For

by Charlotte Aldebron

The American flag stands for the fact that cloth can be very
important. It is against the law to let the flag touch the ground or to leave the flag flying when the weather is bad. The flag has to be treated with respect. You can tell just how important this cloth is because when you compare it to people, it gets much better treatment. Nobody cares if a homeless person touches the ground. A homeless person can lie all over the ground all night long without anyone picking him up, folding him neatly and sheltering him from the rain.

School children have to pledge loyalty to this piece of cloth every morning. No one has to pledge loyalty to justice and equality and human decency. No one has to promise that people will get a fair wage, or enough food to eat, or affordable medicine, or clean water, or air free of harmful chemicals. But we all have to promise to love a rectangle of red, white, and blue cloth.

Betsy Ross would be quite surprised to see how successful her
creation has become. But Thomas Jefferson would be disappointed to see how little of the flag's real meaning remains."

That girl has more wisdom than the majority of American adults.

I was walking along on campus during the week and to my surprise saw a small sticker next to a building "Free Leonard Peltier".  I found this quite amazing because 99.9% of New Zealanders have never heard of him.  Perhaps some visiting American put it there.

Leonard Peltier's case is prime example of the travesty of "justice".  It astounds me that he is still in jail despite the illegalities which littered his 'trial'.  It's a disgrace.

For anyone unfamiliar with his case view the FAQs here.

I often read about support for US soldiers in Iraq and elsewhere - how all Americans should support them regardless of the reasons they're there.  Some of them may well be ignorant of the reasons and believe they're doing right.  But what about the others?  What about those who indulge in torture, rape, murder and think nothing of it?  An excerpt from a book "10 excellent reasons not to join the military" illustrates that racism, sexism and the rest is as rife in the military (if not more so) as it is in everyday American life.  Why do Americans believe they're so superior?

Here's the excerpt:

An Excellent Reason Not To Join The Military

All the blurb about US values of freedom, equality, etc etc is utter bullshit.  The only freedom Bush is interested in is the freedom of multinational (American) corporations to spread their control of world economies.

Americans often bleat about how much 'aid' the US gives to the world, so generous that they are.  Actually, the aid America gives is far more likely to be military, to support those that tie in with US political objectives.  This is especially so since 9/11.

Military aid to the New Allies in the War on Terrorism

Country                    2001                   2003

Armenia                       0                     3,750
Azerbaijan                    0                     3,750
Ethiopia                        0                     1,000
Georgia                     4,971                  8,200
India                            498                 51,000
Indonesia                        0                       400
Jordan                     76,535                200,400
Kazakhstan                2,479                   4,000
Krygyzstan                 2,226                   5,100
Kenya                         1,443                  2,100
Nepal                             237                  3,500
Oman                             250                20,750
Pakistan                            0                 51,000
Philippines                    3,431                22,400
Tajikistan                          0                      350
Turkey                         1,689                20,300
Uzbekistan                   2,939                  9,950
Yemen                            198                  2,650

Total                          96,698               410,600

Now, consider economic aid and aid to combat poverty.  The US is "dead last among industrialized countries in terms of international giving as a percentage of GNP".

Another myth blown apart.

Source: Power Trip: US Unilateralism and global strategy after September 11, editor John Feffer.

ON INCOMES:
--Inflation-adjusted median household income in 2000: 
USD46,058
--Median household income in 2004: USD44,389
[Historical Income Tables -Households, H-6 Table 
US Census]

--Decrease in median income from 2000-2004 in White 
households: USD1,066
--Decrease in median income from 2000-2004 in Hispanic 
households: USD2,141
--Decrease in median income from 2000-2004 in Black 
households: USD2,407
[Historical Income Tables -Households, H-6 White, 
not Hispanic, Black, and Hispanic Tables, US Census]

--Inflation-adjusted average CEO pay at depth of 
recession in 2002: USD7,773,000
--Average CEO pay as of 2004: USD9,600,000
[Executive Pay, Business Week 4/21/2003; A Payday For 
Performance, Business Week 4/18/2005]

--Increase in productivity for 2005: +13.5 percent
--Percentage increase in average American CEO's
compensation since 2002: +24 percent
[Business Week, April 21, 2003; BLS, Labor Productivity 
and Costs]

ON JOBS:
--American manufacturing jobs in 2001: 17,101,000
--American manufacturing jobs in 2005: 14,283,000
[The Economic State Of The Union, Manufacturing & 
Technology News Jan. 19, 2006]

--Number of private sector jobs created since 2001 
excluding those produced by increased military spending:
 -1,160,000
--Number of American manufacturing jobs lost since 2001:
 2,818,000
[Economic Policy Institute, Sept. 3, 2005; 
Manufacturing & Technology News, Jan. 19, 2006]

--Average number of fewer hours per week parents have 
to spend with their kids today than 35 years ago: 22

THREE HOURS LESS PER DAY - HOW MANY DOES THAT LEAVE?

--Percentage decrease in average American household 
income since 2000: -3 percent
[National Statistics, PBS- Hedrick Smith; US Census]

ON ENERGY:
--Average price of a gallon of gasoline in 2000: 
USD1.51
--Average price of a gallon of gasoline in 2005: 
USD2.28
[December 2005 Monthly Energy Review, Energy 
Information Administration, Dec. 22, 2005]

--Percentage increase in the price of a gallon of 
gasoline since 2000: +51 percent
--Percentage increase in the price of a gallon of 
home heating oil since 2000: +94 percent
[Energy Information Administration, Dec. 22, 2005; 
Energy Information Administration, Jan. 2006]

--Average price of a gallon of home heating oil, 
Winter of 1999-2000: USD1.24
--Projected price of a gallon of home heating oil, 
Winter of 2005-2006: USD2.41
[Selected U.S. Average Consumer: Table WF01, 
Energy Information Administration, Jan. 2006]

--Average increase in profits for oil companies in 
third quarter of 2005: +69 percent
--Amount of subsidies provided to oil industry in 
2005 energy bill: USD6 billion
[Star-Telegram, Oct. 26, 2005; Public Citizen Aug. 2005]

ON HEALTH CARE:
--Percentage of companies that provided health care to 
their employees in 2000: 69 percent
--Percentage of companies that provided health care to 
their employees in 2005: 60 percent
[The Kaiser Family Foundation, June 14, 2005]

--Number of Americans without health insurance in 2000: 
39,800,000
--Number of Americans without health insurance as of 
2004: 45,800,000
[U.S. Census Bureau, Sept. 30, 2002; U.S. Census 
Bureau Aug. 30, 2005.]

--Percentage of companies that provided healthcare 
insurance to their employees as of 2005: 60 percent
--Number of additional Americans without health 
insurance since 2000: 6,000,000
[The Kaiser Family Foundation, June 14, 2005; U.S. 
Census Bureau, Aug. 30, 2005]

ON COLLEGE COSTS:
--Average cost of yearly tuition at a 4-year public 
university in 2000:  USD7,020
--Average cost of yearly tuition at a 4-year public 
university in 2005:  USD10,982
[Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct. 27, 2000; 
The College Board, Oct.18, 2005]

--Average increase in yearly tuition costs for public 
university students since 2000: +USD3,962
--Average loan burden carried by a student upon 
graduation as of 2003: USD18,900
--Average increase families will pay in student loan 
interests due to Republican cuts in the 2006 education 
budget: USD2,000 for students, USD3,000 for parents
[Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct. 27, 2000; The 
College Board, Oct. 18, 2005; Nellie Mae Feb. 6, 2003; 
Wall Street Journal, Dec. 22, 2005]

ON RETIREMENT SECURITY:
--Americans working in private sector who can rely on 
a defined pension as of 2004: 6 percent
--Baby Boomers who believe they're very prepared to 
meet living expenses of retirement as of 2005: 
24 percent
[New York Times, Jan. 16, 2006; AllState, Oct. 4, 2005]

I get sick of Americans proclaiming their country as a land of liberty and free speech.  Not only because they say it as if it's the only country in the world in which you can voice your opinions, but also because it's rapidly becoming a lie.

Here's a tale to help dispel the myth.

"James Moore is an Emmy-winning former television news  correspondent and the co-author of the bestselling, Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove  Made George W. Bush Presidential. He has been writing and reporting from Texas  for the past 25 years on the rise of Rove and Bush and has traveled extensively  on every presidential campaign since 1976.  This author was placed on the no fly list. Two points: there's  nothing you or I  can do to help him but make this public, and two- we are  all targets here. Excerpt, Link and horror story on the flip.

"I made it a point to arrive very early at the airport. My reservation was confirmed before I left home. I went to the electronic kiosk  and punched in my confirmation number to print out my boarding pass and  luggage tags. Another error message appeared, "Please see agent."  I did. She took my Texas driver's license and punched in the relevant information to her computer system. "I'm sorry, sir," she said. "There seems to be a problem. You've been  placed on the No Fly Watch List."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm afraid there isn't much more that I can tell you," she explained.  "It's just the list that's maintained by TSA to check for people who might  have terrorist connections."
"You're serious?"
"I'm afraid so, sir. Here's an 800 number in Washington. You need to call  them before I can clear you for the flight."
Exasperated, I dialed the number from my cell, determined to clear up what  I was sure was a clerical error. The woman who answered offered me no more  information than the ticket agent.
"Mam, I'd like to know how I got on the No Fly Watch List."
"I'm not really authorized to tell you that, sir," she explained after  taking down my social security and Texas driver's license numbers.
"What can you tell me?"
"All I can tell you is that there is something in your background that in  some way is similar to someone they are looking for."
"Well, let me get this straight then," I said. "Our government is looking  for a guy who may have a mundane Anglo name, who pays tens of thousands of  dollars every year in taxes, has never been arrested or even late on a credit  card payment, is more uninteresting than a Tupperware party, and cries after  the first two notes of the national anthem? We need to find this guy. He  sounds dangerous to me."
"I'm sorry, sir, I've already told you everything I can."
"Oh, wait," I said. "One last thing: this guy they are looking for? Did he  write books critical of the Bush administration, too?"
I have been on the No Fly Watch List for a year. I will never be told the  official reason. No one ever is. You cannot sue to get the information.  Nothing I have done has moved me any closer to getting off the list. There  were 35,000 Americans in that database last year. According to a European  government that screens hundreds of thousands of American travelers every  year, the list they have been given to work from has since grown to 80,000."
_Totalitarianism_
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-moore%20branded_b_13272.html)
This  should make you scared and pissed at the same time. If it
doesn't, check your pulse. "

Hear, hear.
 

1.  Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism.  From theprominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regimeitself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism.  It was usually coupled with asuspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia;2.  Disdain for the importance of human rights.  The regimes themselvesviewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing theobjectives of the ruling elite.  Through clever use of propaganda, thepopulation was brought to accept these human rights abuses bymarginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted.  When abuse wasegregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation;3.  Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause.  The mostsignificant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice -- relentless propaganda and disinformation -- were usually effective.  Often the regimes would incite “spontaneous” actsagainst the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and “terrorists.”  Activeopponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists anddealt with accordingly;4.  The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.  Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructurethat supported it.  A disproportionate share of national resources wasallocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute.  Themilitary was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite;5.  Rampant sexism.  Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens.  They were adamantly anti-abortion andalso homophobic.  These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses;6.  A controlled mass media.  Under some of the regimes, the mass mediawere under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line.  Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy.  Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite.  The result was usually success in keeping the generalpublic unaware of the regimes’ excesses;7.  Obsession with national security.  Inevitably, a national securityapparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite.  It was usuallyan instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond anyconstraints.  Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting“national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed asunpatriotic or even treasonous;8.  Religion and ruling elite tied together.  Unlike communist regimes,the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents.  In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves asmilitant defenders of that religion.  The fact that the ruling elite’sbehavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug.  Propaganda kept up the illusion that the rulingelites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.”  Aperception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion;9.  Power of corporations protected.  Although the personal life ofordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of largecorporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised.  Theruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensuremilitary production (in developed states), but also as an additionalmeans of social control.  Members of the economic elite were oftenpampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality ofinterests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens;10.  Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.  Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushedor made powerless.  The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice;11.  Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes.  Intellectual and academicfreedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal.  Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliablefaculty harassed or eliminated.  Unorthodox ideas or expressions ofdissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed.  To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had noright to exist;12.  Obsession with crime and punishment.  Most of these regimesmaintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prisonpopulations.  The police were often glorified and had almost uncheckedpower, leading to rampant abuse.  “Normal” and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used againstpolitical opponents of the regime.  Fear, and hatred, of criminals or“traitors” was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power;13.  Rampant cronyism and corruption.  Those in business circles andclose to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain thebenefit of government favoritism.  Members of the power elite were in aposition to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example,by stealing national resources.  With the national security apparatusunder control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largelyunconstrained and not well understood by the general population;14.  Fraudulent elections.  Elections in the form of plebiscites orpublic opinion polls were usually bogus.  When actual elections withcandidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result.  Common methods included maintaining controlof the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising oppositionvoters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort,turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite;..

From Fascism anyone?

American democracy?  Ha!          

That supposed role model of the democratic world, invading countries because they might have chemical weapons, is discovered to have dumped chemical weapons off the coast of several countries including New Zealand after WWII.

Chemical weapons dumped off NZ

US chemical weapons dumped off foreign shores

Countries include Italy, France, India, Australia, the Philippines, Japan, Denmark and Norway, New Zealand, China, Russia and unidentified Latin American countries.  Australia alone has 60 million pounds of chemical weapons off the coast of Brisbane.

"The hazard of leaking shells likely will last for "another tens to hundreds of years..."."  But of course, nothing can legally be done, because they're in international waters and occurred before the signing of the 1975 treaty prohibiting ocean dumping of chemical munitions.  Morally, of course, the US government should clean it up.  Ha.  Morals is what the US government has always lacked.

"MORALITY TEST



This test only has one question, but it's a VERY important one.  By giving
an honest answer,  you will discover a lot about yoursef morally.





The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation in which you
will have to make a very important decision.





Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous.





Please scroll down slowly and give due consideration to each line.  You will
be given the situation first....then a scenario....and then you will be
asked the question.









THE SITUATION


You are in New Orleans.  There is chaos all around you caused by hurricane
Katrina, with severe flooding and massive damage.





This is a flood of biblical proportions.





You are photo journalist working for a major magazine and you are caught in
the middle of this epic disaster.





The situation is nearly hopeless.  You are trying to shoot career-making
photos.





There are pieces of debris and people swirling around you, some screaming
and disappearing under the water.  Nature is unleashing all of its
destructive fury.









THE SCENARIO


Suddenly you see a man in the water.  He is despeately fighting for his
life, trying not to be taken down with the debris.




You move closer. The man begins pleading for your help.





Somehow the man looks familiar.  You suddenly realize who it is.  It's
President George W. Bush!





At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take  him
under forever.





You have two options - you can save the life of the President of the United
States, or you can shoot dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photographs
documenting the death of one of the world's most famous men.







THE QUESTION








Would you select high contrast colour film, or would you go with the classic
simplicity of black and white?"

Oh wait, there was Reagan.  I thought he was bad enough but this chimp takes the cake.  If he weren't so dangerous it'd be hilarious.  He's a retard.

This guy is amazing.  Read the article at the following link to see how not only are politically connected companies like the infamous Halliburton given contracts for rebuilding in Katrina-ravaged areas, but he's revoked the Davis-Bacon law which entitles the workers to the local wage.  In other words these companies can pay their workers less than the minimum wage!  This guy doesn't stop adding insult to injury.

Bush Helps Disaster Profiteers

Doesn't this smack of dictatorship?  The guy creates rules or revokes rules according to his whim, to help his cronies rake in millions. America is most definitely a plutocracy - it sure as hell ain't democracy.

Excerpts from 'Why America can't cope' by Andrew Stephen

'The self-image of America, now largely adopted in Britain, too, is that of a nation of uniquely hardy and resilient people predestined by God to be omnipotent in the world, be it against the forces of nature or of bogeyman dictators.

Because, in reality, the reverse is so often true- present-day Americans, after all, are the most pampered human beings in history - the mythos fostered by popular cultre and especially Hollywood, have given rise to a complacency that is increasingly dangerous not only for the rest of the world but for Americans too.'

'Thus, the task of spearheading the mighty US government's response to Katrina was left to a twit appointed because of his social networking rather than any sound qualifications to lead.  The prevailing ethos, after all, is that government is unimportant and can be left to amateurs, just like Bush himself.'

'Since 1993... progressively larger areas of protective wetlands had been lost forever in Louisiana alone.  Bush then, in effect, froze spending on the US Army Corps of Engineers, the body responsible for protecting US coastlines and inland waterways from disaster.  So that just at the point when the corps said it needed 62.5 m for the Louisiana urban flood control project in the next fiscal year, the Bush administration slashed its projected budget to 10.5 m.'

...'nurtured on tales that America is a paradise.. but the reality is that it is increasingly falling behind western Europe in technology, education and healthcare.'

Americans are 'self-deluded'.  They still believe the myths that they're the greatest.  But didn't Katrina show the reality?  Didn't it show how vulnerable, inefficient, uncaring and brutal it really is? 

" The new US sneak attack nuclear doctrine has been
viewed with alarm by Russian President Putin.
This past week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Ivanov warned the United States about the new
plans for pre-emptive nuclear strikes: "Lowering
the threshold for use of atomic weapons is in
itself dangerous. Such plans do not limit, but,
in fact, promote efforts by others to develop
nuclear weapons." (Wire service report, September 14)"

Someone with some sense.  Rumour has it that Bush is planning a nuclear attack on Iran very soon.  By the time it comes around to voting Bush out, it will be too late.  Our worst fears are coming true, thanks to America.   Words just don't describe what I'm feeling right now.  That an inarticulate ape (an insult to our cousins, sorry) is responsible for all the worst in the world is just astounding.  And humans are supposed to be the most intelligent species.  God help us.

Mood: incredulous

FEMA blocked relief efforts, even advising first responders from out of state not to respond.  Incredible.  The list is so long that I will cut and paste from another website:

FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations
<http://news.ft.com/cms/s/84aa35cc-1da8-11da-b40b-00000e>

FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
<http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/5/105538/7048>

FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspec>

FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspec>

FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
<http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm>

FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans
<http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=>

FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid
<http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/171718/0826>

FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509040369sep04,1,4144825.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050902dale>

FEMA turns away generators
<http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html>

FEMA: "First Responders Urged Not To Respond"
<http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470

That last one is straight from FEMA's website.

This is surely evidence that the White House wanted to ensure maximum damage.

Yup, still rising - at the highest since 2000.  For all the rhetoric about America being peacekeepers (whoever believes that is blind and stupid) " The U.S. has a long-standing (and accelerating) policy of arming, training and aiding some of the world's most repressive regimes."  But of course we know that already - or anyone with a brain knows it.

Ending Tyranny, the Bush Way

Frida Berrigan writes "It's time that President Bush begin to honor his pledge to "end tyranny in our world" as part of the war on terrorism by overhauling U.S. weapons transfer policy. "

The man's a cold-blooded liar.  The writer of this article gives him too much credit.